Google Announces the Nexus Player, an Android TV Reference Device

As you may be aware, Google announced a ton of coolstuff today. Much of it had been rumored for months, though, so the unveiling of the Nexus Playercame as somewhat of a surprise.

Essentially an Android TV reference device, the Nexus Player is a $99 set-top box made in collaboration with Asus. It packs a 1.8GHz quad-core Intel Atom processor, 1GB of RAM, a Bluetooth 4.0 and dual-band Wi-Fi radio, 8GB of storage, and a microUSB port. It ships with a microphone-equipped remote for voice search and navigating around the UI, and hooks up to your TV via HDMI.

Following in the footsteps of Amazon’s Fire TV, Google is making a play (pun intended) for gaming. The Nexus Player sports a powerful PowerVR Series 6 GPU, and supports an official gamepad accessory that will retail separately for $39.

As Google demonstrated earlier this year at I/O, Android TV will support a bevy of entertainment apps at launch. The operating system also has built-in support for Google Cast, meaning screen mirroring and casting should work without a hitch.

Pre-orders for the Nexus Player begin October 17. Brick-and-mortar buyers will have to wait until November 3.

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Rob Miller

Pre-orders start today, any idea what time?

Jim

Any mention of an Android TV device that supports HDMI-in? It would be nice if it integrated your cable subscribers content, too, but it appears destined to be only cloud services. Sad to say, the old Google TV devices got one thing right…

MikeSaver

why do i need this if i have a chromecast?

Gasaraki

I don’t get why brand new devices are still being made with 1GB of RAM. RAM IS CHEAP! All 32Bit devices should have at least 3GB of RAM. 4GB for chips that support it.

Rezin

Needs Moar ram

Michael Evans

Miracast?????

scotch1337

It is good to see that Google decided to catch up to 2010.

Elyssa Doom

Still not sure what this is for.

scotch1337

It’s Apple TV but android

Guest

This is so 2010. Way to catch Google

Tom Klausing

does this do everything chromecast does and more? would like to see a droid-life post comparing the two.

paul4id

Really not liking the confuse-a-cat use of a circle to mean “home”. The house icon was so much clearer.

Geran Smith

I was really hoping it would have the HDMI in and out like the older Google TV boxes.

Picaso86

I don’t think it will integrate our current cable boxes. That’s a shame.

Seth Boman

Will the gamepad be Bluetooth?

TobenVF

Totally pumped for this! Wish it had more than 8gb of internal storage…would be a great microconsole. Anybody know if it supports external storage?

Ryan

Chromecast on steroids.

Robert Lacy

They should have bumped the storage to at least 16GB considering that this is aimed at gaming. 32GB would have been ideal.

I was so excited about hearing this device, but upon further reading about it, I realize there was no passthrough interface. I love my Sony Google for this even though it’s a total dinosaur right now. Looks like I will have to hold on to my Sony a little bit longer.

Travillion

Cool, but not sure what this offers above and beyond what Chromecast does. If it is all about the remote, I actually prefer my phone.

Mudd

Really looking forward to this, but think I might wait to see what other boxes with android TV end up having for specs. Don’t know if no ethernet and no passthrough is a game killer for me. I have a Sony GS7 and love it. Mainly use plex, but want the flexibility of a box that uses the same input rather than a seperate input. If I wanted that, I would just get a Roku.

but…that was kinda early adopter fault there on those devices. All of the reviews were pretty clear that those devices were half baked, done in more by content providers than Google itself but nonetheless just not ready for prime time.

So this time…I’ll wait for reviews on this device before I buy, but I love my chrome cast devices.

SomeDooD

Will this let me stream local content via my home network and/or USB HDD? I wanna be able to play 1080p MKV’s (w/ DTS).

Sankyou

Not directly – but with Plex yes. Well we’ll have to see about DTS support but most likely yes.

xsirxx

Yes it will, all depends on the software. I use Avia for DLNA and Plex for Plex…

mizkitty

Wireless only…sucks…

Jem

Why? I have no issues streaming any content on wireless anymore. You probably need a router upgrade if you have issues.

xsirxx

Jem, maybe you have a smaller house? I agree with mizkitty, I cant do wireless in my house unless I want repeaters setup everywhere. That being said mizkitty, plug in a 10$ network adapter.

sirmeili

How? no USB or am I missing something in the specs?

Jem

I live in a pretty large house. Wireless AC does wonders. I have wireless repeaters, yes, but they’re for our backyard that is like 200-300 feet away (9 acre property).

Anfronie

I don’t know what you have but I think a lot of people overlook the importance of a wifi router upgrade. Dual band AC people!

sirmeili

Sorry, but Ethernet will always win out over Wireless in devices like this. You never have to worry about interference. You also have to consider that there might be more than 1 of these in use. In my experience with 3 rokus, the 2 that are wired are problem free. The one that is wired and the others before they were on ethernet, gave me issues. It’s just plain better.

Anfronie

I agree Ethernet will always be better but for this application dual band AC is better for my setup. I don’t have to run a LAN cable from my router to my main TV.

sirmeili

Yeah, I am solving that by running cat6 to about 3-4 walls in every room and behind every tv (also have RG6 run and in some cases HDMI). I have a central closet that holds a rack with all my living room’s A/V equipment and it has 3 SMC (structured media cabinets) where all the connections terminate from around the house. Seriously, it’s really nice and I never have to worry about the Wifi freaking out. The only devices in my house that are not hard wired, are those that move around (i.e phones, tablets, undocked laptops).

Wow that’s a lot of work. A cheap consumer router running the DD-WRT firmware is what you need. Basically imagine your crappy linksys router working as solidly as a commercial WiFi access point.

Only buy routers that can be upgraded with the DD-WRT firmware and you will change your wireless situation into a working, reliable, hassle free setup.

Google it! DD-WRT. Completely free firmware upgrade. Easy to install.

sirmeili

I find it funny. You don’t know me. You don’t know my background. You don’t know what equipment I run (well you do now that you’ve probably read my last response to you). You assume I have no idea what DD-WRT is. Well, I do and no matter how good it is, it will never beat a wired connection for reliability especially for streaming devices. Wireless is great for devices that move around and you don’t want tethered to a jack (phones, tablets, undocked laptops).

With 5 people living in my house, 4 of them constantly using wireless devices for various reasons, I will leave my stationary, non-moving, equipment hard wired.

And yes, running wires is somewhat a lot of work (easier if it’s done during the building phase of a house), but let me tell you, a wired connection will beat out that crappy wifi router AND the commercial WiFi access point hands down!! If you don’t believe me, then give it a try and see what I mean 😛

AngryBadger

yes, rock solid connection ftw.

duke69111

Do all applications work on Android TV or just select apps? I know some entertainment as will be tailored towards this.

Sankyou

It will probably be locked down. Hopefully the “Unknown applications” option will be available for sideloading.

JMonkeYJ

I hope you can use your phone as a remote for the device. Now that I’ve had Chromecast for so long, I’m hooked on using my (or any of my friend’s) phones as a remote. It’s so much more convenient.

CabbageHeadCat.

Can’t wait. This will be perfect. Loose the Chromecast in the bedroom and use this instead. Awesome.

tyrus

I have a Sony Android TV, been testing it out for a couple of weeks now and telling Foxconn my results. Nothing special, honestly.

Sankyou

This is exactly why Android TV is cool though. Simple enough to replace the “Smart” interfaces of today’s TVs and you get the mature applications from Android that have been lacking with most smart interfaces.

ClikFire _

Glad you guys didn’t forget about this.

Mordecaidrake

I don’t see the point, I’ll just use my Chromecast and my PS4/Xbone/WiiU for gaming…

Unless you have a Plasma TV and you realize the fail on MS part to have a black background with an ever present white XBox Logo Orb in the top right corner of the screen. The white on black creates a complete contrast that is perfect for burning in screens.

I’m thankful to have noticed the image retention early on with this and now take precautions to not have that stupid white orb ruin my TV. I’ve written MS and there’s a lot of noise about this problem on forums.

I guess it depends on your tv b/c my chromecast is hidden and doesn’t stick out at all

Ryan

Same here. It’s on the back hidden, but sticks out to the side and matches the end side of the frame of my tv. So you can’t see it on the side.

Miguel

I’m with you but I’ll reserved judgement until I see the interface and some hands on reviews.
I guess my kids can use it to play play store games if possible.

JSo

Yeah, I need to see that too. I still think I will stick with the Chromecast though

Shawn Spring

For me, its the dual band WiFi…my new router has blazing speeds, but my Chromecast can’t take advantage of them. Nexus Player will solve that issue, and for the price of 2 Chromecasts (almost, which I already have) this makes streaming from apps like Showbox all that much sweeter.

Sankyou

Have to tried PopcornTime? Showbox is nice but it will probably go away whereas PopcornTime is here to stay.

Shawn Spring

I have…I find it to not have the same amount of selection for TV shows as Showbox….and I will weep the day Showbox goes away, be it tomorrow or 15 years from now.

Sankyou

I agree Showbox is slick. Usenet -> CouchPotato/Sickbeard -> Plex is still my preference but it’s too much for most people to endure.

say592

I use a similar setup (torrents in place of Usenet), and that is THE setup. Automatically download everything, transfer it into Plex, ready to watch immediately. Im using Plex Connect for the ATV3, but I am so excited to run an actual Plex client with Android TV. Definitely the best part about the announcement today.

Paul D

looking for a new fast router to replace my current one, may I ask what you recently bought?

Thanks. Bought a cheap one only to realize it’s not dual band and being in an apt with alot of other network interference, need something dual and strong

ohshaith55

Yeah I get that. Although I’ve never had a problem with that in my apartment. I just use the one the came with uverse and I have never once had the Chromecast pause to rebuffer. I do live on the very edge of the complex, and its not very dense housing. Right now I’m through two walls, about 20-25 feet away and my speed test on my phone maxes out my bandwidth.

Here’s the specific router I decided I wanted. Its been sitting in my wish list on amazon for weeks. They have better models, but they’re mostly just extra bells and whistles. This has the most important features and its really fast nonetheless. Good luck, man.

Paul D

thanks for all the info, but I didn’t see the one you referenced as on your wish list. The Linksys WRT1900AC looks like a beast and somewhat future proof. pricey at $200+ tho

ohshaith55

Oh! Sorry I forgot the link. http://goo.gl/g4RTyn im sure you’d be good with any of them on that list

Paul D

sweet, thanks again

michael arazan

Better than my U Verse, and mine is directly opposite of my bedroom wall, like 10/1

Andy Stetson

Wireless AC.

r0l

Great for cable cutters who use STBs as their primary device. Even though I can cast everything sometimes you just want to sit on the couch with a remote and not handle a phone.

JSo

Yeah, but with a 64 dollar price difference, navigating with a phone isn’t that bad.

r0l

Well for those with kids it’s also easier to hand them a remote than a phone.

My wife and I have two Chromecast in the living room and bedroom. I can’t tell you how many times we both have just wanted to browse content on the TV and not on the phone first. With voice search in the microphone particularly…I would rather not even bother with my phone.

It will be nice to have the option.

Stiff competition in this space though, like if you have a PS4, your probably better off getting the Sony device that’s similar to this.

Tony

Thanks for the clarification. I just realized what the difference was after you explained how you can browse content on the TV instead of the phone first.

Colin Huber

Will it integrate with our TV guides?

Sankyou

No sir. They gave up on that concept as it was too complicated, I guess…

Colin Huber

Darn. That’s what I was hoping for.

Sankyou

There’s a firesale on Ebay for Revues 🙂 I think the (majority of the) world is not ready for what you’re talking about.

Eric S

Yes

kixofmyg0t

A PowerVR 6 series GPU huh? Just like the iPhone 6. So it’ll be a beast for gaming. Nice.

Good_Ole_Pinocchio

Interesting that the haven’t announced the price. Either way. I’m probably buying one, it’ll be less thatn $100 at least, since that’s what these devices cost

Sankyou

$99 – controller separate but comes with mini remote

Good_Ole_Pinocchio

Welp that explains that, I’m getting one

Patrick Smithopolis

It’s in the article.

Good_Ole_Pinocchio

Didn’t see that there.

Sankyou

The ethernet port died on my Revue 2 months ago so this will be nice. 5ghz wifi will be enough to get by as my stupid baby monitor has been fighting with my Revue. Can’t wait but I do wish they put HDMI in/out on it. Any news on whether it’s bootloader unlocked? Assuming it will be rooted soon.

Cael

It can connect via HDMI. So what do you mean?

Sankyou

Was hoping for HDMI in and out so you don’t have to switch inputs on your TV. Not a huge deal with MHL – but would have been nice.

Walter Partlo

Might have to grab this instead of picking up the planned second chromecast.

Denard Mondesir

Yea thats a good idea….think i’m gonna do the same

Jarred Sutherland

Not at all in on this one. Google has burned me with two “TV” devices in the past because their attention span was poor. My Roku 3 does more than I need it to.

Edit : Oh great, and it’s made by Asus .. this just smells of rotten fish.

niuguy

Smellovision?!

michael arazan

Smellcast

Boblank84

instant buy for me, running mk808 players on all my tv’s and they are getting a little tired

xsirxx

I use the same thing but mine are all running great still… I would love to try one of these things but was also thinking about putting cyanogenmod on my now never used ouya…

Sankyou

There’s Cyanogenmod for Ouya? Guess I should pull that out of the hole I buried it in.

Mike

I might be the only one, but i’m more excited about this than either of the other Nexus devices. Finally a fully fledged Android set top box.

JDub

Nope, I have been waiting for this since my Sony Google TV box died. I didn’t want to waste money on another device that wasn’t going to see any support.

Join the club My Logitech Revue is still sitting between my Hopper and my TV but I don’t use it for anything anymore. Thankfully I got the Revue for free from Dish Network but you could always tell the device was lacking support and a decent app lineup. Even the interface was a bad port from a phone. I have since bought the FireTV since I love my Prime membership but I might as well get this too since I do have content on Google Play. I just need to buy a new TV with like 7 HDMI Ports not for all the crap I have on it.

Not sure about the full fledged part as it doesn’t have a passthrough interface. For me, that’s a deal killer. Although, I’d pick this one up over a Roku.

JDub

This is the biggest draw back about it. I like being able to turn my TV and receiver on or off with one remote. I also don’t want to have to switch the input back and forth to watch cable. Kind of disappointing, but hopefully someone will make one soon with pass through soon.

imrf

Get one of the new Logitech Harmony remotes. It’ll control everything.

sirmeili

I was excited, till I saw no Ethernet. I was all ready to replace all the Rokus with these, but I guess I’ll have to wait until someone else releases an Android TV box with an ethernet port.

Mike

I might be the only one, but i’m more excited about this than either of the other Nexus devices. Finally a fully fledged Android set top box.

I’d prefer a hard-wired option as well but 5ghz should do the job if your router is decent.

sirmeili

5Ghz has horrible range though. I’m not sure about the AC version, but the N version is basically useless at >15′. My house is more than 15′ in any direction from the router and it’s centrally located.

Ethernet port could have been a cheap addition and I would have been in for about 3-4 of them if it had it.

xsirxx

I agree but like Boblank84 said, you can get a 10$ adapter that works perfectly. I have them on all my MK808s…

really? what era are you living in? The Chromecast devices are wifi only and work excellent. Ethernet needs to die a horrible death in home applications.

sirmeili

Wrong. for streaming, especially with multiple devices in a house, Ethernet will ALWAYS win out over wireless. I’ve had experience with this and 3 Rokus in the same house. Since wiring 2 of them, I never have issues with them, but still have issues with the third (waiting for winter to run the ethernet to that TV location).

My guess is that you have a crappy wireless router. Pro tip: Google dd-wrt. You will find a firmware upgrade that works with many consumer routers. If you install that on a cheap Linksys wireless router….trust me all of your connection problems will likely be solved.

Wireless networking gets a bad rap from cheap underperforming routers that flip out when more than a few devices are connected. Well this isn’t a hardware problem but a software problem easily corrected by replacing with dd-wrt firmware.

You’re guess is wrong. There is just too many factors that can mess with wireless that have nothing to do with the router itself. I’m sorry, but ultimately, a wired connection will ALWAYS beat out a wireless one for reliability in connection to the network. You may have great luck, and 99% of the time my wireless is flawless. But you know what? 100% of the time my wired connections for these devices are flawless. That right there is more than worth it for me.

BTW, I happen to use a Cisco router and an Engenius AP. They are not “cheap” by any means and are very reliable. My issue with wireless is just that you aren’t depending on the AP to be great, but the device as well. My Rokus that are hard wired are so much better now than when they were wireless it’s just stupid. I leave wireless for those devices that need it: portable devices. There is little reason to have a stationary, non-moving device be on wifi unless there is just no way possible to run a hard line to it.

sirmeili

You’re guess is wrong. There is just too many factors that can mess with wireless that have nothing to do with the router itself. I’m sorry, but ultimately, a wired connection will ALWAYS beat out a wireless one for reliability in connection to the network. You may have great luck, and 99% of the time my wireless is flawless. But you know what? 100% of the time my wired connections for these devices are flawless. That right there is more than worth it for me.

BTW, I happen to use a Cisco router and an Engenius AP. They are not “cheap” by any means and are very reliable. My issue with wireless is just that you aren’t depending on the AP to be great, but the device as well. My Rokus that are hard wired are so much better now than when they were wireless it’s just stupid. I leave wireless for those devices that need it: portable devices. There is little reason to have a stationary, non-moving device be on wifi unless there is just no way possible to run a hard line to it.

Geran Smith

You must not live in an apartment complex! I use all Ethernet where possible to avoid dealing with poor signal.

I’ve always lived in apts and do now and in overcrowded Los Angeles. See above comment and Google dd-wrt firmware. That’s how you get wireless networking to work reliably on cheap routers like Linksys. Only buy and use routers compatible with DD-WRT and trust me all of those connection problems your having will be a thing of the past.

badenglishihave

Agreed. I was excited at first because theoretically you could use Android TV to stream PC games via Limelight, but it’s shaky over WiFi unless you have a very strong 300Mbps+ connection.